Earlier than Andrew Hill Excessive Faculty alumnus Kenny Luu entered San Jose State College this fall, he bought a little bit assist along with his bills by way of a scholarship from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Los Gatos.
“Once I bought the scholarship, I used to be fairly excited as a result of it wasn’t one thing I assumed I might reap the benefits of,” Luu mentioned. “It will actually assist towards my tuition at San Jose State College.”
Luu is at the moment finding out built-in arithmetic however is contemplating a change to information science, and mentioned the help from the scholarship helps him concentrate on schoolwork.
St. Luke’s created the scholarship in honor of Anne Louise Heigho, a longtime parishioner who was concerned with the Canterbury Bridge Episcopal Campus Ministry at SJSU. Heigho died in 2020.
The scholarship awards $2,000 a 12 months for 4 years to Andrew Hill college students who’re certain for San Jose State. The Rev. Ricardo Avila, St. Luke’s rector, mentioned the scholarship is for college students who categorical monetary want and have a historical past of group service.
Avila mentioned the church hopes to have 4 college students actively within the scholarship program always. The church chosen Andrew Hill Excessive Faculty to help college students in communities with decrease earnings ranges.
“St. Luke’s is in Los Gatos; it’s comparatively prosperous. I believe it’s essential for our soul to assist folks that we might by no means meet or might by no means come into contact with,” Avila mentioned, including that the church needed to begin a ”scholarship for somebody who doesn’t have many assets, and assist them alongside and be these angels from out of the blue, if you’ll.”
Luu did get to fulfill among the individuals from St. Luke’s who’re liable for his scholarship.
“They’re very nice individuals,” Luu mentioned. “I bought to listen to a few of their tales, and so they’re actually useful individuals who assist across the group. I’m actually glad I bought to fulfill them.”
To use, college students submit a brief essay, their FAFSA kind and a highschool transcript to a scholarship committee at St. Luke’s. Finalists are interviewed by the committee.
“It’s fairly essential that they really not be parishioners,” Avila mentioned. “They usually’re not anticipated to develop into parishioners and even attend. We ask them to return yearly in the summertime to allow them to say hello.”
Scholarship winners are requested to attend one summer time service at St. Luke’s annually to be acknowledged by the parish, and to fulfill with the Rev. Kathey Crowe, chaplain at SJSU’s Canterbury Bridge Espiscopal Campus Ministry, Avila mentioned.
The scholarships are funded via donations from the household and parishioners.
